***Shortlisted for the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2017*** Mystery and adventure collide when a group of boys discover an old abandoned road in the woods of a historic battlefield. Thad Utely's best friend Donald Bass is moving away at the start of the summer. That promises to leave Thad with only Derek Jackson and Danny Richards as his friends, not something Thad is too thrilled about. With the end of school fast approaching, the boys desperately want a final adventure to say goodbye. The only problem, Donald absolutely hates the outdoors. Then, while on a class fieldtrip, Thad comes across an old road in the middle of woods and sees an abandoned house. Suddenly a plan is set. The boys could campout in the woods and claim the house a clubhouse. Donald reluctantly agrees, but other conditions have to be met. First, Thad's best friend will not spend the night, and second, Jak Tranner, the class outcast and troublemaker, has to go too, and would be spending the night. And that is only the beginning. A bullied girl known as "Beast" keeps getting in the way and a pack of wild dogs prowls the same woods. For Thad, the grand adventure quickly turns into a grim nightmare...especially when a sinister plot is uncovered that puts his life and the lives of all his companions in grave danger. Encountering pond scum is the least of the troubles as Thad and the boys are forced to question who the real "beasts" of the world are. Together, they must learn the true meaning of friendship, courage, and acceptance, that is, if they hope to live to see another day. Join the Pond Scum Gang on a grand adventure full of humor, danger, and trouble. Lots of trouble.